a student's look at eating, fitness, and studying

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Degustabox. All opinions are my own.

Two weekends ago, I surprised my roommate by dropping a huge box on the floor of our apartment with a loud THUD! I had carried this box for ten minutes straight, as it made its was from apartment mail center to elevator to apartment door. But it was a box worth having an extra arm workout 😉

My hefty Degustabx filled with lots of goodies! The box was heavy and bulky, but I can’t complain too much because it had full-size bottles and cartons of tasty products!

Degustabox is a monthly box subscription that is currently active in five European countries and is now starting up in the United States! Each box is packed with food products featuring all sorts of brands, and if the regular monthly boxes are like anything the box I received, then you will be getting a workout carrying it back to your apartment/house from the mailbox.

Degustabox also offers a points system through friend referrals and completing surveys about products that come in the box. There are many ways to collect points in order to get to 100 points to redeem for a free box 😀 . I had to lay out all of my products in one picture because I couldn’t believe the amount and variety I had before me…

Degustabox Products for June

The featured product of the month was Topo Chico, sparkling mineral water straight from Mexico!!

Topo Chico Mineral Water

I tried both Topo Chico bottles on my long run day, one right after and one later in the evening. I had the lemon-flavored one right after my run and it felt SO refreshing! If you are someone that needs an incentive to drink water because it’s “too boring”, carbonated water is the way to go. Sure, you may be burping for a while afterwards, but a sip from each of these bottles was a party in the mouth!

Jif Cinnamon Peanut Butter Spread

The item in the box that I was most excited to try was the Jif Cinnamon peanut butter spread. Nut butters and spreads (especially new brands and flavors) always make me go weak at the knees, and this jar of cinnamon-y wonder was no exception. I had little more than a dollop of it with a Fage Crossover yogurt I’ve been meaning to try, which featured a coconut curry yogurt and cashew topping. Everything together, mixed in, was just…ahhh. I probably would have been able to enjoy it more if it was a post-run treat versus a way to get in some pre-run fuel. It was just that good!

Vita Coco Coconut Oil

I received the coconut oil by Vita Coco in three small sachets. My mom used to rub it on my scalp and in my hair when I was younger, and while I hated the smell and going to school with slicked hair, I truly think that’s what’s helped my hair remain so thick. I don’t condition it like that anymore, but having these sachets in hand reminded me of those times, so I actually rubbed up my hair with one of them before showering. It also helped that I got a haircut, so one sachet was plenty 🙂 . I’m not sure how big of a difference it made, but at least it made the shampoo I used easier to lather, allowing me to used less of the shampoo! As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown fond of the coconut oil smell, so that didn’t bother me as it lingered in my hair into the next day.

Wise Popcorn

The Wise popcorn bags I received came in lightly salted and Cinnabon flavors. I made my usual weeknight after-dinner snack of protein powder mixed with yogurt (proyo), and topped the bowl with popcorn. In this bowl, I topped it with the Cinnabon flavor and snacked on the lightly salted flavor on the side. The Cinnabon flavor was not very strong to my disappointment, and the popcorn of both flavors tasted somewhat stale (as in they didn’t have a robust crunch to them).

Another fun topping item included in the box were packages of Cranberry Almond Cashew Trail Mix and Cashew Halves and Pieces from Orchard Valley. I was a fan of the trail mix since the cranberries tasted especially sweet and the almonds were salty and crunchy. The cashews were flavorful too, but the single note grew boring after the first two spoonfuls.

Orchard Valley Nut Packs

One versatile product I received was a carton of Elmhurst Harvest’s walnut milk! I have yet to try walnut milk…yes to almond and cashew, but walnut was a new one to me! Even though it was unsweetened, it helped make a rockin’ snack:

Elmhurst Harvest milk-alternative

Into this cup went:– 4 oz. of Elmhurst Harvest’s walnut milk – two scoops (~56g) of chocolate protein powder – a little over two tablespoons of cashew butter

I also added a little extra water to completely dissolve the powder, but the walnut milk certainly help bind things together and also maintain a nutty flavor in this protein smoothie of sorts 😛

I didn’t get two taste these two dressings/sauces in time for this post, but I could at least comment on the packaging!

I was actually pleasantly surprised to find a bottle of Brianna’s dressing in my box, seeing that it costs ~$5 a bottle at Whole Foods! I’ve been having salad packs mixed with tofu and some kind of sauce/marinade/dressing for my weekday lunches lately, so I know I will make great use out of this once I open it. I’ll just have to remember to keep this in the refrigerator once I do!!

Bottles from the side.

The Soy Yay Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce also looks appetizing. This bottle is packed with sesame seeds (at least from what I can tell looking at the neck of the bottle), and it probably fetches its spiciness from the ginger puree and dried ginger mixed in. I know I will go through this bottle quickly when it makes its initial appearance one of these days in my weekday lunch salads.

Even though I wasn’t sick (thankfully) this week or the week before, I had to give the Honees honey menthol cough drops a try. Each lozenge has liquid honey on the inside, and while the outer layer reminded my of the Halls lozenges I used to have long ago, the flavor was more refreshing due to the liquid honey on the inside infused with menthol.

HONEES cough drops

One product I will unfortunately be unable to try are the Haribo SOUR Gold-Bear gummies. If only they didn’t have gelatin! But I do plan on bringing them into lab since we will be having a potluck this week, and I’m sure my (mostly) European lab-mates will enjoy them.

You can learn more about Degustabox on their website, Facebook or follow @Degustabox on Twitter/Instagram!

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2 thoughts on “My First Degusta Box”

Degusta… what an odd name. What does it mean? In English it sounds like disgust so it is so weird to me! That said, it sounds like an awesome company/organization with some wonderful products!Julia @ Drops of Jules recently blogged…Looking for Guest Posters!

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Hi! You can just call me P. I'm an LA-Based Foodie, five-time marathoner, and a 4th-year grad student with eyes on the PhD prize. I'm all about living healthy and happy, and cherishing the three best things in life---family, friends, and food! Thanks for stopping by :)